No Different
by FloreanFortescue47
Summary: Seven half-bloods, seven stories, seven people. Are they really so different from you or me?
1. Percy Jackson

**A/N: SPOILERS for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, and Trials of Apollo**

Percy Jackson always smelled like the sea,

And somehow his eyes always sparkled.

In the midst of joke they sparkled with mirth,

In the midst of a tragedy they sparkled with tears.

Percy Jackson was not stupid,

He was tactically brilliant,

Sarcastic and quippy and romantic,

And he had a funny little habit of biting his lip when he was nervous.

Percy Jackson was brave to a fault,

He would run into any battle,

Disregarding the odds and simultaneously defying them.

He wore scars with pride,

Each one a prize rather than a casualty.

Annabeth loved his scars,

She loved how they stood out against his heavily tanned skin,

And loved how he laughed when she traced them lightly with her fingertips.

Percy Jackson did have fatal flaw however,

As all heroes do,

He didn't know when to quit,

And he would do anything,

Anything,

For those he loved.

His tongue was stained blue more often than not,

He kept jelly beans with him at all times.

He also had a habit of talking too loudly,

But it was endearing, of course.

So yes Percy Jackson saved the world a hundred times over,

But that doesn't make him any different from you or me.


	2. Annabeth Chase

Annabeth Chase had startling eyes,

That's what everyone told her.

Like an overcast summer sky,

Threatening to storm.

Annabeth was a tomboy as a kid,

If she really had a childhood at all.

She would play in the dirt,

Scab up her knees,

And wear her hair in a scraggly ponytail.

Well, that never really changed.

Annabeth Chase always hated spiders,

She hated not knowing things,

She hated girls who could flirt effortlessly,

She hated losing control.

And when Annabeth hated,

She didn't retreat.

She saw patterns that other people didn't notice,

Thought of a comeback before the other person even

Finished

Talking.

She was always on edge,

Poised to spring,

Wary to trust.

Until she met Percy,

The boy who smelled like saltwater,

Whose lopsided grin made her heart leap,

Who she knew she would always have.

Annabeth brought chapstick with her wherever she went,

Like a talisman,

And it became a nervous habit.

"It's like kissing vaseline," Percy complained once,

Before going in for another, laughing.

So yes Annabeth Chase was brilliant,

But that doesn't make her any different from me or you.


	3. Jason Grace

Jason Grace was the All-American-Boy,

Strong jaw, bleached blonde,

Icy eyes, deep tan.

He made girls swoon,

But rarely gave them a second glance.

He had his priorities straight,

Until his entire life was tossed upside down.

You never know yourself,

Until you realize how little you know yourself.

Jason Grace hated alcohol,

The smell of it alone made him queasy,

And his unwarranted dislike of the Baccus kids,

Always raised more than a few eyebrows.

Jason Grace didn't want to be famous,

Or popular,

Or swooned over.

He knew what an ego could do.

Jason was addicted to corny jokes,

And would break down at even the simplest knock-knock.

Piper thought it was adorable.

Jason shoved down his emotions,

His demons,

His uncertainties.

He put on a dude-bro facade,

And smiled through the darkness.

Never realizing how much it was hurting him.

Jason, the All-American-Boy,

Never really felt like he fit in.

He didn't feel comfortable with even his closest friends,

At times,

Always slightly uneasy.

Jason died fighting for those he loved more than anything.

But that doesn't make him any different from you or me.


	4. Piper McLean

Piper McLean adored colors,

She would collect paint chips,

And draped her room in a million different hues.

Piper both loved and hated her appearance,

She loved her kaleidoscope eyes and feathery hair,

But hated being stared at, hated being cat-called.

She was most similar to Jason in this,

Hating the spot light,

Hating the fame,

Hating the paparazzi that would stalk her father.

Hated the tabloids that would comment on her beauty,

From a blurry picture,

As she tried to run away.

Piper McLean was a hopeless romantic,

Despite turning guys down daily.

None of them were right for her.

She imagined a guy with icy blue eyes,

Who would sweep her off her feet,

And plan romantic picnic dates.

Of course,

She didn't _need _a guy.

She wanted one.

Jason was perfect,

From his dimples,

To his corny humor,

To his loyalty.

But things happen,

Like psycho goddesses replacing your memory.

Like your boyfriend being too much of a hero,

To know when to just,

Back,

Down.

And no matter what,

Piper McLean would fight tooth and nail,

For those she loved.

Looks aren't everything.

So yes, Piper McLean was drop-dead gorgeous,

But that doesn't make her any different from me or you.


	5. Frank Zhang

Frank Zhang was a cat person,

He had the breeds memorized,

And Hazel found it hilarious,

How his voice would go falsetto when a stray stalked by.

Frank understood strong women,

From his mother, to his grandmother,

He never questioned that his female companions,

Would get the job done.

He was not a violent person,

When he was four,

He held a funeral for a beetle he stepped on,

And cried.

Frank Zhang never had confidence.

He didn't have confidence in his (self proclaimed) flabby gut,

Or his (self proclaimed) watery eyes,

Or his (self proclaimed) big ears.

Frank Zhang didn't notice that, even without the blessing of Ares,

His gut wasn't particularly flabby,

His ears were normally proportioned,

And his eyes were actually a striking dark chocolate color.

Until he met Hazel,

Because when someone loves you,

It is one hundred times easier to love yourself.

Frank Zhang was brave,

And proud,

And cunning.

Frank Zhang was a leader,

Despite the fact that he was scared of wasps,

And big dogs,

And, well, a lot of things if you think about it.

So yes, Frank Zhang was brawny and powerful,

But that doesn't make him any different from you or me.


	6. Hazel Levesque

Hazel Levesque was obsessed with white chocolate,

It was her favorite flavor in the world,

And she got very excited over coffee shops,

And all the white chocolate mochas they provided.

Hazel had trouble fitting in,

When she was young from her skin,

When she was older from the little fact that,

She was in a time that was not her own.

Maybe that's why she was drawn to Frank,

Two outcasts against the world.

Or maybe it was because she could trust him,

To keep her safe, even when she didn't need protecting.

She could trust him to keep things slow,

If she wanted,

To let her do her thing,

Content to watch in awe.

Hazel Levesque had a presence,

When she walked into a room,

People would be both comforted,

And uneasy.

Hazel hated her talents,

Hated how she brought pain and sorrow with her.

But Hazel loved horses,

And white chocolate mochas,

And Nico,

And her friends,

And especially Frank.

And when you love that much,

The hate seems to fade.

So yes Hazel Levesque was born in 1928, then died, and came back,

But that doesn't make her any different from me or you.


	7. Leo Valdez

Leo Valdez was an amazing chef,

No really,

He watched Rachel Ray in his freetime,

And used Piper to test his vegetarian cuisine.

And despite the jokes of those on the _Argo II,_

His taquitos were freaking amazing.

And they begrudgingly asked for the recipe.

Leo understood a thing or two about love,

Despite his impish attitude and humor.

He knew what it was like to lose someone you love forever,

To love someone so much it hurt,

And what it felt like to think you were in love.

When really you just looked a lot like your great grandfather.

Who your friend used to,

Date.

Yeah Leo had seen some crazy schist.

Leo used his humor as a defence mechanism,

Surprise surprise.

It masked his fear of abandonment,

A relic of a motherless childhood.

It masked his confusion,

Because, contrary to popular belief, he didn't always know what was going on.

Or like, ever.

It also masked his lack of self confidence,

Despite his,

Well,

Every single thing he said.

It wasn't until he met Calypso,

The love of his life,

His _hermosa chica,_

That he realized your scars can make you beautiful.

(Or handsome of course)

Not that that epiphany had any impact on his constant stream of jokes.

But the jokes weren't a defense anymore.

So yes, Leo Valdez could probably build anything if he wanted to,

But that doesn't make him any different from me or you.

In the end, all heroes are really,

Just people,

Doing what they can to change the world.


End file.
